Chapter 8

“I’m not familiar, but I’m in this line of work,” Qin Nan replied absentmindedly as he wrote the receipt.

Zhang Yong observed the tires carefully. It was the first time he had paid such close attention to these things. He suddenly remembered that tire patterns were not all the same. Absently tapping his arm, he asked, “Is it difficult to determine the type of car by reverse-tracing through the tire?”

“It’s possible, but not easy. If the tires are original and not widely used, they can be found. However, if they have been replaced or if the tires are common, it’s very difficult.”

After Qin Nan finished writing the receipt, he walked over and handed it to Zhang Yong. As Zhang Yong took the receipt and saw Qin Nan preparing to return to work, he suddenly stopped him, “Can you do me a favor?”

“Hmm?”

“I have a photo here, a tire track left on the road. Can you help me figure out what kind of car it might be?”

“I’m not certain about that,” Qin Nan started, and just as Zhang Yong was about to say ‘never mind’, Qin Nan added, “Come in and sit.”

The two of them entered the house together. Zhang Yong sat casually on the sofa, and Qin Nan poured tea for him, sitting beside him. “Where’s the photo?”

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“Xb, blal kv kp.”

Hbydt Zsdt vssj swv y plv sq rbsvsp qasx bkp kddla rsnjlv yde iwknjzu qswde sdl.

Mbaswtbswv vbl rasnlpp, Ckd Lyd jlrv bkp blye esod.

Hbydt Zsdt zkjle Ckd Lyd’p wdelapvydekdt dyvwal. Tl dlhla ypjle sa zssjle kdvs vbkdtp bl pbswzed’v. “Tlal, vbkp sdl,” Hbydt Zsdt bydele vbl rbsvs shla. “Uyd usw vlzz obyv jkde sq nya rypple cu?”

Ckd Lyd vssj vbl rbsvs, lmyxkdle kv nzsplzu, yde qsaxle y aswtb swvzkdl kd bkp xkde. “Mblal olald’v xydu nyap vbyv rypple cu. R nyd cyalzu xyjl swv psxl pbyrlp, cwv vbl vos vkal vaynjp yal shlazyrrkdt. Rv oswze vyjl psxl vkxl vs plryayvl vblx.” Tl bydele vbl rbsvs cynj vs Hbydt Zsdt. “Ebu esd’v usw nsdpwzv y rasqlppksdyz?”

“Mbl nypl byp clld okvbeayod cu vbl ryavklp kdhszhle,” Hbydt Zsdt pyke psxlobyv blzrzlppzu. “Lso kv’p y rlapsdyz xyvvla qsa xl, ps R esd’v oydv vs csvbla xu nszzlytwlp. Mblu yzalyeu byhl y blyhu osajzsye.”

“Rq vbl nypl kp okvbeayod, obu csvbla?” Ckd Lyd ypjle nypwyzzu yp bl vssj swv y nktyalvvl.

“Ekvbeayoyz eslpd’v xlyd vblal’p ds nypl,” Hbydt Zsdt rzynle vbl rbsvs sd vbl vyczl yde vyrrle kv. “Rq usw nyd blzr qkde lhkeldnl vs nsdhkdnl vbl ryavklp vs alsrld vbl nypl, R’zz valyv usw vs y xlyz.”

“It’s no big deal, I’ll do my best.”

“Alright,” Zhang Yong glanced at the sky. “I should go now. Thanks.”

Qin Nan nodded, got up to see Zhang Yong off, and when he returned, he glanced at the photo again.

The tire tracks on the photo were overlapping, and one could faintly see a large patch of reeds nearby.

He immediately guessed the location.

There weren’t many places in the southern city with large patches of reeds, and he had once wanted to take Ye Sibei there.

But that never happened, and it never would.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette, crushed it in the ashtray, clipped the photo into a notebook, and went to greet the new customer at the door, directing people to park the car in the yard.

“A bit forward, a bit more, stop. Boss,” Qin Nan approached, “Car wash or repair?”

****

After having dinner at home, Huang Guifen instructed Ye Nianwen to take her back home.

Ye Nianwen escorted her to the door, hesitated for a moment, and reminded her, “Sis, whenever you have time, talk things out with my brother-in-law. Prolonged conflicts only make things worse.”

“Okay.”

Ye Sibei nodded and advised him, “You should go back and rest early.”

Ye Nianwen responded and watched Ye Sibei enter the house. He stood at the door for a long time, took a deep breath, then turned and left.

Ye Sibei returned to the house alone, looking at the silent and empty rooms. She turned on all the lights, walked to the balcony and windows, closed all the doors and windows tightly, then lay down on the bed.

She lay there for a long time, unable to fall asleep, with the sounds from last night echoing in her mind.

After a while, she sat up, opened a web page, and typed in the search bar, word by word, “How to live after being raped?”

Information popped up on the webpage, with people sharing their similar experiences of suffering.

Some successfully sued after being raped, but because it was someone they knew, they were blamed for causing harm to others, accused of being flirtatious and causing trouble.

Some had insufficient evidence after suing, lived under public condemnation, watched the culprit roam free, and had to bear the stigma of false accusations.

Some chose to remain silent in reality, just venting their emotions online, only to be criticized by netizens for not reporting to the police, accused of being writers who exploit incidents for online attention.

There were also some sharing their experiences in women’s forums, some of whom were victims since childhood, while others were adults. They all pondered over the years, how they could live like a normal person in the future.

They seemed to have encountered not an accident but an incurable disease.

The virus brought by this incident would continue to live in their bodies, spreading and escalating incessantly. Medicine would be futile, and they would endure lifelong suffering.

Ye Sibei looked at these people’s words, feeling like she had entered a group of patients, watching them share her future with her.

They told her that at the beginning, there would be intense emotional reactions, but they couldn’t really understand how this would affect their future.

However, slowly, the intensity of the feelings would diminish, turning into a continuous and lingering pain. After one year, two years, whenever they realized that this might never end, they started to develop habits alongside despair.

Life would gradually turn upside down during this process.

Some people engaged in promiscuity, some turned to alcohol, some lost all self-control and lived chaotic lives, some became self-deprecating and fearful, not daring to step out, and some even fell in love with their abusers. Regardless of domestic violence or assault, they sank to bottomless depths, just to soothe themselves, at least choosing their own suffering.

No one could clearly explain the change in logic, not even the victims themselves. They could only helplessly watch as their lives completely derailed.

Ye Sibei looked at these words—her future. She realized clearly that Huang Guifen’s choice for her was indeed the best path.

Hide well, stay silent, don’t let anyone know. That way, at least, her pain would only come from herself.

As long as she could let go, like being bitten by a mad dog, this would be over.

This realization suffocated her, making it impossible to sleep.

She had an instinct to find something to do. Looking at the half box of cigarettes and the lighter left by Qin Nan on the coffee table, she inexplicably took one and walked towards the balcony.

She sat on the balcony chair, looking at the silent night, and lit the cigarette in her hand.

She had always followed the rules since she was young, although she would argue with her parents and had a prickly personality, she had always strictly adhered to all the evaluations of “good children” in this world.

Study hard, don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t wear heavy makeup, don’t wear sleeveless clothes, don’t wear skirts above the knee, don’t get tattoos, don’t casually date.

But all of this seemed to have not protected her; she still ended up where she was today.

She reflected on herself in the dark night, starting from clumsily inhaling and exhaling, gradually finding some tricks.

Tobacco calmed her down. She looked at the faint light on the horizon, which brought an inexplicable sense of security. Exhausted, she looked on, in the morning breeze, finally closed her eyes and found a moment of peace.

After three days of day and night reversal, her emotions gradually calmed down.

On the 12th night, she received the usual monthly reminder from the bank, notifying her of the repayment amount and date for this month.

This reminded her that she should go back to work.

She sent a message to Fan Jiancheng that she was coming back to work. That night, she sat on the balcony smoking and drank a lot of alcohol, barely managing to fall asleep.

The next morning, when she got up, she stood in front of the mirror, washed up, and looked at her exhausted self in the mirror. Subconsciously reaching for foundation, she paused as soon as she touched it. After a moment, she opened the storage cabinet behind the mirror, took out all the skincare products and makeup, and angrily threw them into the trash.

She tied her hair into a messy ponytail with a plain hairband, put on a gray sports suit that Huang Guifen had bought for her, and carried a sports bag.

After preparing herself, ready to go downstairs, she suddenly noticed the sky.

It was still early in the morning, and there shouldn’t be many people on the road. She stopped her steps in an instant.

It’s too risky, she thought.

So she waited a bit longer until the sky was completely bright before going downstairs.

She didn’t dare to take the bus, afraid of possible contact with people, so she had to take a more expensive taxi to the company. On the way there, her mind was filled with questions about that night.

What exactly happened that night?

Who violated her, and who else knew about that night? How would those who knew look at her? Would they speak out?

These questions made her anxious, but since she decided to keep things hidden, she had to live as usual.

She needed income to support herself and to continue living as before.

Ye Sibei constantly built herself up psychologically. When she got off the car, she tightly held her backpack and walked towards the “Fujia Real Estate” store with determination.

The company was no different from usual. It wasn’t early anymore, and most people were already there. Fan Jiancheng was standing at the door, greeting the cleaners sweeping the floor.

The closer she got to him, the faster Ye Sibei’s heart raced. She was almost trembling and could only walk into the store with her head down, pretending not to see Fan Jiancheng.

“Sibei?”

Fan Jiancheng, sharp-eyed, spotted her first and was about to greet her with a smile when he suddenly noticed that Ye Sibei wasn’t wearing the company uniform. He frowned and looked at Ye Sibei, “Where’s your uniform?”

Ye Sibei remained silent, using silence as a form of resistance.

“Sibei, it’s not your first day at work. Don’t you know about the company’s rules?” Fan Jiancheng’s tone became slightly firmer. “Why aren’t you wearing the uniform?”

“I forgot.”

Ye Sibei lied with her head down. Sensing that something was off with her, Fan Jiancheng waved his hand, “Forget about it today. I’ll deduct fifty yuan from your pay. If you forget again tomorrow, according to the rules, it’ll be two hundred. Got it?”

Ye Sibei stood still without moving, and Fan Jiancheng noticed something was wrong. “Si Bei, what’s wrong?”

“General Fan,” Ye Sibei pursed her lips tightly and finally asked the question she had been wanting to ask, “Was it you who sent me home after the drinking session?”

“Yeah,” Fan Jiancheng answered straightforwardly, “Both you and Chu Chu asked me to. I dropped off Chu Chu first and then you.”

As he spoke, Fan Jiancheng seemed to realize that his explanation might sound biased, so he quickly added, “Chu Chu was also quite drunk that day, and her house was on the way.”

“Ah,” Ye Sibei nodded and quietly asked, “Did you drop me off at the door?”

“You were quite drunk, seems like you forgot everything,” Fan Jiancheng laughed, “That night my wife called and we had an argument. You said your husband was coming to pick you up, so I left before reaching the entrance of the neighborhood.” Fan Jiancheng seemed somewhat embarrassed, “I’ve given you something to laugh about.”

Ye Sibei didn’t speak, she just kept looking at him.

He seemed too natural.

So natural that it was hard to believe it was him.

Perhaps it really was as he said, she got off early, and something happened on the way.

Seeing her staring at him, Fan Jiancheng couldn’t help but feel worried. “Si Bei, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Ye Sibei snapped out of it. “I’m going to work.”

With that, Ye Sibei entered the company.

Zhao Chuchu saw her come back and greeted her with a smile, “Sis, are you okay now?”

“I’m fine.”

Ye Sibei sat down, and Zhao Chuchu relaxed. “That’s good. I’m taking the clients to view houses first, we’ll talk later.”

With that, Zhao Chuchu walked out, but Ye Sibei hurriedly stopped her. “Uh, Chuchu.”

Zhao Chuchu turned back, looking puzzled. Ye Sibei pursed her lips. “That night at the dinner, did you go home with me?”

“Yeah,” Zhao Chuchu’s answer matched Fan Jiancheng’s. “But I got off the car at my house. General Fan dropped you off. Why do you ask?”

“Oh,” Ye Sibei nodded. “Just wondering.”

“Nothing happened, right?”

Zhao Chuchu asked with concern, and Ye Sibei shook her head. “No, go ahead and be busy.”

The clients were waiting for her, and Zhao Chuchu couldn’t ask more, so she waved and left.

Ye Sibei returned to her seat, lowered her head, thought for a while, took a deep breath, and started her day’s work.

A sleepless night made her feel quite absent-minded, and she dozed off during the day, hardly accomplishing anything.

By the time it was five o’clock, Wang Lin came over as usual to tidy up. She handed a stack of documents to Ye Sibei. “Si Bei, I’m going to pick up my child. I’ve given you the invoices and data. Thank you.”

Ye Sibei’s typing paused for a moment. Before Wang Lin left, she finally mustered the courage to speak up. “Sister Wang, I have something to do today. I’ll be back home before it gets dark.”

“You don’t have any kids,” Wang Lin didn’t pay attention to her words at all and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Why go back so early? Young people should work overtime more. I’ll leave first, thanks.”

With that, Wang Lin hurriedly left.

Ye Sibei turned her head to look at the documents on the table, frowned, and after a long while, she averted her gaze back to her computer screen.

When it was six o’clock, the time to leave work, she glanced at the sky, hesitated for a moment, and still put the documents back on Wang Lin’s desk, then walked out of the company directly.

She didn’t dare to refuse others.

But she was even more afraid of the night.